The coupling together of a driving shaft and a driven shaft has long been practiced. Due to various factors such as thermal expansion, equipment vibration, and torque the shafts and their respective pieces of equipment tend to move relative to each other. Since it is desirable to cover (or house) the coupled shafts and/or any gear boxes between them for safety and lubrication it is necessary to have a fluid tight seal between the cover and the equipment.
Previous designs have consisted of placing a gasket between the cover and the piece of equipment such as can been seen at 42 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,767 to Eckley. A design, such as Eckley, makes no allowance for axial or radial movement. If the machines move axially, the gasket 42 can be damaged or even wedged into the gap it seals, thus eventually allowing lubricant leakage. If the machines move radially, face sealing means 40 tends to prevent this movement, creating excessive machine stress. Therefore, there is a need for a device that will prevent leakage as well as allow for relative movement of the pieces of equipment.